Bruins-Penguins Series To Begin Saturday In Pittsburgh; Boston To Host Game 3 On June 5

BOSTON (CBS) — The long wait for playoff hockey to return for the Bruins will come to end this weekend.

The Bruins and Penguins will kick off the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday night in Pittsburgh at 8 p.m., giving the Bruins a full six days of rest and the Penguins seven full days of rest between games.

Pittsburgh will again host Game 2 on Monday at 8 p.m.

The series will shift back to Boston for Game 3 on Wednesday, June 5 at 8 p.m. Boston will host Game 4 on Friday, June 7 at 8 p.m.

Curiously, if the series is to go seven games, the teams won’t have a day of rest between Games 6 and 7, as Game 6 is scheduled for Tuesday, June 11, and Game 7 is scheduled the following day. The Bruins faced the same situation in the first round, losing Game 6 on May 12 before coming back to win Game 7 on May 13.

The Penguins won all three meetings with the Bruins this season, each by one goal. The Penguins rallied from a 2-0 deficit with three third-period goals against Anton Khudobin in Pittsburgh on March 12. Tomas Vokoun stopped 31 of 32 Bruins shots on March 17 in a 2-1 Penguins victory, and third-period power-play goals by Jarome Iginla and Kris Letang propelled the Pens to a 3-2 victory at TD Garden on April 20.